Anon (Wickhambrook): As I went to Walsingham

And now a version of Walsingham arranged for ukulele in Am. (The previous 3 postings have been in  Gm: see this introductory post.) It is based on a transcription by Sarge Gerbode from the Wickhambrook Lute Book (1592), f 17. (US-NH Ma.21.W.632), “ a large folio-sized manuscript compiled in the 1590s, perhaps to collect and preserve lute music by John Johnson, who died in 1594, and whose works predominate in this source”, according to an account by The Lute Society. There is full information on the book here.

There are 3 variations, the first keeping closely to the melody. The second and third are tuneful and enjoyable to play. I hope that you agree.

The following features seem quite Dowlandian to me: the scales in bars 13  – 14; the motif in bar 17, and its repeat an octave lower in bar 18; and the ascending scale in the upper voice in bars 20 – 23, with its  acccompanying motifs in the lower voices. Possibly, though, these are just common features of late 1500s music.

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